


Found

by Higgles123



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: F/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:29:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21533758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higgles123/pseuds/Higgles123
Summary: A post season 5 Alfie one shot that shows the soft Alfie we all adore
Relationships: Alfie Solomons/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 106





	1. Part One

The warm sun was beating down and every so often a breeze would blow gently, the smell and taste of the sea air enveloping itself around you and your young daughter. She was chattering animatedly, speaking of all the rides she wanted to go on at the travelling fair that had set up on the seafront for the bank holiday weekend.

You had moved to Margate to stay with your great aunt only a year prior, after the death of your husband had resulted in you losing the house you shared. For the last three months, you had spent every day working two jobs, trying to make as much money as possible for you and your daughter. By day, you cleaned and did odd jobs for a middle-aged man who lived alone, and by night you waited on at a little restaurant overlooking the sea. Slowly, you were beginning to see your savings amount to something, and you hoped to be able to afford your own place soon enough.

It wasn’t that you disliked living with your great aunt. On the contrary, in fact. She was kind natured and she watched your daughter, Lottie, while you worked without any complaint. But you missed having a space of your own. You missed having a place that was your own home. Since your husband had died, you felt lost. You didn’t know if you would ever find yourself again. Not really.

You would stay in Margate though. Not only did you have free childcare, but you had also noticed an improvement in Lottie’s health since you had left the smog and smoke of the city for the fresh, sea air. Besides, going back to London was only going to re-open old wounds that were finally beginning to heal. There was nothing in London for either of you anymore. And every day when you woke up and smelled that salty air, you felt reinvigorated. It was as though your soul knew that somewhere lurked the chance for a new and happy life. Something you had promised you husband you would achieve in his memory.

You were so consumed in your own thoughts for a moment that you hadn’t heard Lottie pointing excitedly at something in the distance. It was only when she took off at full speed that you tried to stop her.

You shouted but it was no use. Panic seized you as your little girl disappeared out of sight; her brown ringlets and pale blue dress disappearing into the throng of people all dressed in their best summer wear.

“Lottie!” you cried, desperately pushing your way through the crowds. The faster you tried, the slower time seemed to go until it was as though you were moving in slow motion.

“Mummy!” you heard her excited squeal and you followed the sound until you saw her knelt on the ground as she was licked to death by a dog you realised you knew very well.

“Take it this little tike belongs to you?” the dog’s owner grinned.

You gave a wobbly yet relieved smile to your employer as your heart finally began to resume a somewhat normal beat. 

“I’m afraid so,” you nodded, kneeling down to look at your daughter. “Lottie, you mustn’t run off like that again. You frightened me.”

“Sorry Mumma,” she frowned, giggling as the golden Labrador slobbered all over her cheek. “I wanted to see the doggy. I think he likes me.”

“Max likes everyone,” you smiled, giving the dog an affectionate rub. He panted eagerly and licked your face. He sniffed around your hands, looking for the treat that you usually always gave him but today you were without “Hello gorgeous boy,” you cooed. “I don’t have anything for you, I’m afraid. I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”

“Mumma is this doggy your friend?” Lottie asked.

“Sort of,” you nodded. “I told you about the doggy I see when I clean the big house, didn’t I? Well this is him.”

The little girl’s green eyes widened in understanding and she looked up at your employer with a curious glint in her eyes.

“If this is your doggy, then are you Mr Slobomons?”

“Sure am,” Mr Solomons nodded, his lips twitching at the mispronunciation of his name. He stuck out his hand. “Pleased to meet you, love. If I’m guessin’ correctly, you must be little Lottie? Your Mum’s told me a lot about you.”

“Yes,” she beamed. “Well my whole name is Charlotte Anabelle Stafford, and I’m not very little really because I’m nearly five.” She held out her hand, spread out in a star like shape to illustrate her point.

“Oh my mistake,” Alfie conceded. “You’re practically a grown up, aint ya?”

“What happened to your face?” Lottie asked suddenly, and you gasped in horror.

“Lottie,” you hissed. “Mr Solomons, I’m awfully sorry. She didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Course she didn’t,” Alfie shrugged. “She’s got eyes in her head and like any curious kid, she just wants to know why I look like a fuckin’ monster, yeah?”

You wanted to berate him for using such course language around your daughter, but you didn’t dare. He was after all the man who paid half of your wages. It was funny because during the few conversations you’d had whilst in his employment (mostly about the house or what he wanted for lunch and other such nonsensical things) you had soon gotten over your initial shock at just how blue he could turn the air with his foul language. Strangely, you actually found it a rather endearing character trait. But now that your daughter was around, just hearing one curse word had made you cringe internally.

“You don’t look like a monster,” Lottie answered before you could. “My Daddy’s face looked like yours when he was poorly. But Mummy says now that he’s in heaven, it will be all better and he will look like himself again. When you go to heaven, maybe your face will go back to normal.”

“Perhaps, little one,” Alfie nodded. “But I aint plannin’ on goin’ to heaven for quite some time, so for now I’m stuck like this, eh?”

What Alfie left out was the voice in his head telling him that he would never make it to heaven. There was only one place someone like him was going.

“Maybe you could become a pirate?” Lottie suggested seriously, her lips pursed and her little hands on her hips. Alfie couldn’t help but smile at the sweet little girl who behaved almost like a grown up. “You could get a patch to cover your poorly eye and sail the seas for treasure on a big, big ship.”

“Not that that aint a great idea, I much prefer to keep my feet on dry land to be honest with ya. And besides, I’ve already got plenty of treasure in my house.”

“You have?” Lottie was enthralled. “Can I see?”

“Lottie,” you hissed again.

“What?” the little girl shrugged. “I want to see the treasure.”

“Well it’s rude to invite yourself to someone’s house,” you explained patiently.

“But you’ve been there lots of times and never never let me come even when I cry real tears and not pretend ones.”

“Sweetheart, I’ve explained this,” you sighed. “Mumma has to work, don’t I? We need pennies to get our own house, don’t we? So we don’t have to live with great Aunt Maud forever, hmm?”

“But I like living with Aunty Maud,” Lottie argued. “She sings to me and her bottom makes a funny noise.”

Alfie let out a chortle while you bit your lip to keep from laughing.

“Lottie pops, are you going to say goodbye to Mr Solomons now and thank him for letting you stroke his doggy?” you changed the subject swiftly.

“Thank you, Mr Slobomons,” she grinned, all toothy and wide. Alfie looked at her and then looked at you. Apart from your nose, he would have been hard pressed to tell the pair of you were remotely related let alone mother and daughter. She must take after her father, he surmised. Little Lottie motioned for him to bend down so she could whisper in his ear and he did so without hesitation, his knees popping as he crouched down. “Can I come with my Mummy to see the treasure?”

You shook your head upon her words. She was a stubborn little thing; a trait she got most definitely from her father. You were relieved to see that Mr Solomons looked somewhat amused by her tenacity. He stood looked at her with a grin and then at you.

“Maybe if your Mum says it’s alright, we can go and look at some of my treasure,” he agreed.

“Oh goody!” Lottie clapped her hands together in glee. “Canwecanwecanweeeeeeeee.”

“Not today, darling,” you shook your head, shooting your boss a grateful smile for his kindness. You knew he didn’t want a small child rifling through the many interesting ornaments and things in his house, but you appreciated him offering nonetheless. Still, you would save him from keeping his obligation. “We’re going to the fair aren’t we? And you’ve been so excited all day.”

“Hmm,” Lottie pondered on that for a moment. She _had_ been very excited. She had been promised a go on the ferris wheel and the chance to win a goldfish, _and_ get an ice cream with a chocolate flake. But she really wanted to see her new friend’s treasure. “Mr Slobomons could come to the fair with us and then we can go and see the treasure?”

“I’m sure Mr Solomons has other things to do, sweetheart,” you said as kindly as you could. 

“Pleeeeasssssseeeeee,” Lottie clasped her hands together fluttering her eyelashes exaggeratedly at the pair of you.

Alfie looked at you with a shrug and you could see he was almost asking your permission. You shrugged back, feeling awful that the poor man had obviously been worn down by those fluttering lashes. It wasn’t his fault. Lottie was difficult to refuse.

“Alright then,” Alfie smiled. “But you aint gettin’ me on any of them rides cos I might piss my pants.”

Lottie giggled at that thought and you realised you were going to have to say something.

“Please don’t take offense, Mr Solomons,” you weren’t sure how to word it without sounding rude. “But Lottie has a terrible of habit of repeating words she hears. Especially ones that are a little bit naughty. And she absolutely loves to repeat them at the most embarrassing moments.”

Mr Solomons frowned but then suddenly understanding flashed across his face.

“Well we can’t have that, can we?” he scratched his beard. “I’ll try and watch me p’s and q’s, yeah? But I need you to do one thing for me as well.”

“Ok,” you agreed warily.

“Call me, Alfie, will ya?” he grinned. “I only let people what I don’t like call me Mr Solomons. And well, you’ve worked me long enough now that I reckon we should be past formalities. I mean, I call you Y/N, and not Mrs Stafford, don’t I?”

“Can I call you Alfie too?” Lottie asked. “Because I think it’s a very nice name.”

“Course you can, love,” Alfie smiled. “Shall we get a move on then?”

The three of you (well, four if you included Max) walked leisurely towards the fair, and the closer you got the more excited Lottie became. At one point, she grabbed hold of Alfie’s hand and you were surprised when he went along with it without even batting an eyelid, doing nothing more than allow her to swing his arm back and forth as she jabbered on about the things she was going to see at the fair.

Alfie found Lottie and her innocent charm breath taking. She hadn’t looked at his face and recoiled in horror like every other passerby did. She had just taken it for what it was and nothing else. Despite the obviously sad loss of her father at her young age, the little girl hadn’t allowed it to taint her view of the world around her and he found it refreshing. It was clear to Alfie that you were doing a fine job raising her on your own. He had of course known you were a widow when you began working for him, but it wasn’t until he had actually laid eyes on your daughter that he had fully realised the immense pressure you were under to raise her by yourself. He often saw the same sad look in your eyes when you were absentmindedly cleaning or doing another mundane task, and it was the same one that his own mother had worn when his father had died. She herself had been left to raise three children alone.

His mother had never so much as looked at another man after his father had died. She had been happy to live alone and concentrate only on her children. He wondered if you felt the same? It would be a terrible shame if that was the case. You were beautiful. He had no right to think it. As both your employer and also as a man. But even with only one eye, it was hard to miss. He’d thought that from the first moment he met you, and today he thought it even more. The way the sunlight bounced off of your hair and your eyes twinkled with unbridled joy at your daughter’s happiness. Beautiful didn’t seem an adequate enough description for a man who usually found himself full of words for every occasion.

“Are you listening?” Lottie’s voice demanded as she tugged on his hand.

“Sorry love,” he blinked. “I didn’t hear ya.”

“Hmph,” she sighed, looking very unimpressed. “I said that we should get Max in ice cream as well.”

“Well dogs don’t really like ice cream,” Alfie told her.

“That’s ok,” she shrugged. “Because if he doesn’t like it, I can finish it for him.”

“That right?” Alfie chuckled, smirking at you. “Clever one, aint she?”

You grinned. “She’s always been far too switched on for her own good. You need to have your wits about you.”

“I can see that,” Alfie pinched her little button nose. “Come on then. Let’s go and have some fun, eh?”

And fun you had. All of you. Although, there were many times throughout the day when you wondered if they even remembered you were there at all. Lottie had Alfie here, there and everywhere, and despite his initial protestation about going on any rides, he took her on everything. They went on the Ferris wheel three times (although Lottie did allow you to go on it with them the last time, and only at Alfie’s insistence) and Lottie was allowed two ice creams. When you had tried to argue against this, Alfie had grinned and said, “Well, I’ve bought it now so I can’t very well put it in the bin, can I?”

You realised with a pang that as much as you and Aunt Maud tried to do with Lottie, she was missing a man in her life. Your parents and your husband’ parents were both no longer alive, Aunt Maud had never married and you were an only child. Perhaps that was why Lottie had taken to Alfie. Then again, it seemed as though Alfie had taken to her as well. He was patient and playful and the two of them behaved as though they were life long friends. He wasn’t the same man who sat in his arm chair, reading and watching for ships while you dusted around, almost uncomfortable in his presence. Instead he was amiable and funny, and you found yourself laughing more than you had in a long time.

At the coconut shy, Alfie (whose aim was spot on despite only being able to see from one eye) won Lottie a little doll and two teddy bears. When Lottie pulled him down to whisper something, Alfie smiled and nodded before winning another teddy bear just for you.

“I think I’m a little old for this,” you smiled nonetheless.

“Nonesense,” Alfie shook his head. “Aint never too old for a teddy bear. Besides, me and Lottie was worried you were feelin’ left out.”

“And Mumma,” Lottie tugged your sleeve. “Now when you cry, you can hug your bear and it will be all better,” she looked at Alfie with a sad face. “My Mumma cries lots and lots when she’s in bed. I can hear her. I think it’s cos she misses my Daddy. Did I tell you he was in heaven? My Mumma says heaven is pretty and gots lotsa angels. She said my Daddy sits on a fluffy cloud all day watching me. Do you think he can see my new teddy bears and my dolly, Mumma?”

“I’m sure he can, my darling,” you kissed the top her head, avoiding Alfie’s all seeing gaze.

“Can we go and win a goldfish now?” Lottie changed the subject once again.

When they reached the stall, Lottie looked at it in dismay. There were lots of teacups, each with a tiny amount of water and a little goldfish inside. The aim of the game was to throw a marble and if it landed in a cup, you got to keep that goldfish.

“I don’t like this, Mumma,” her bottom lip wobbled and she buried her face into your skirt. “What if the fishies get hurt? And why are they not swimming? They look sad and I don’t like it one bit.”

“They can’t swim really sweetheart because the cups are too small,” you knelt down to kiss her wet cheeks.

At this she cried even more and you could do nothing but try and soothe her. Alfie, however, had a better idea.

“How much for all the fish, mate?” he asked the stall owner, who laughed in his face. “Are you fuckin’ deaf? Or just plain stupid? How much for all the fuckin’ fish?”

The man mumbled a ridiculous figure and it was Alfie’s turn to laugh. He threw down a few notes onto the table with a smack.

“That tank over there,” he pointed to the big glass tank on the floor that obviously housed the goldfish when the fair was over. “That’s mine now. You put all the fish back in there and then you’re gonna have them taken to my house, alright?”

The man nodded, wary of the angry man with the scarred face. Alfie told the man his address and gave him explicit orders to have the fish delivered within the hour when he would be there to receive them.

“And once you’re done, you’re gonna fuck off, yeah?” Alfie smiled, although there was malice behind it. He leaned in and spoke quietly enough that Lottie didn’t hear, but you did. “If I see you here again, you’ll regret it. We clear?”

“What did you do that for?” you asked him as the man hurried about closing down his stall, and you all continued walking as though nothing had even happened.

“Well she’s got a point aint she?” he shrugged. “I mean it’s fuckin- sorry I mean bloomin’- cruel.”

“So you just decided to buy them all?” you frowned.

“Well I thought Lottie might like them.”

“I would, I would,” she interrupted giddily.

“Well, I don’t really think we have the space for a tank,” you pulled a face. Aunt Maud’s house was plenty big enough, but you just didn’t the responsibility of feeding twenty or so more mouths.

“That’s why I’m havin’ it taken to mine, aint I?” Alfie tutted. “Then when you come to work, Lottie can come and see them.”

“And who says I’ll be bringin’ her with me,” you raised an eyebrow, feeling cornered by the two pleading sets of eyes on you.

“Why wouldn’t you?” Alfie frowned, smiling down at his new ally. “She’s my little mate, aint ya?”

“I’m your bestest mate, aint I?” Lottie imitated Alfie’s cockney accent perfectly, forcing even you to break down into a smile.

“The pair of you are never going to let me win, are you?” you sighed, folding your arms across your chest. “Fine. Have the fucking fish.”

“Yay!” Lottie jumped up and down, sending Max barking mad and wagging his tail excitedly at all the commotion. “We’re getting the fucking fish.”

You slapped a hand over your face in exasperation while Alfie guffawed loudly.

“Come on you pair of filthy mouthed mares,” he chuckled. “You two aint fit to be around people usin’ language like that.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Lottie was enamoured by her new pets. Alfie had them set up on the sideboard in the living room, and despite the promise of other treasures to be found in the large house all your little girl wanted to do was sit and stare at her fish.

Alfie rustled up a bite to eat for you all, and you were pleasantly surprised by just how good of a cook he was. He even let Lottie eat hers on her knee on the sofa so she didn’t have to leave her precious friends.

“Thank you,” you smiled, washing up the dishes (you had insisted despite Alfie’s numerous protestations) and leaving them on the side to dry. “I think she had far more fun today with you than she would have with me.”

“She’s a good kid,” Alfie smiled fondly, as you listened to her telling Max and the fish a story about a princess and big dragon.

“She is,” you agreed.

By the time you had finished the dishes, Lottie had grown quiet and had nodded off on the sofa with Max curled up on top of her like a blanket. You smiled and allowed yourself a few moments to relax before you needed to try and get your sleeping child home.

You stepped out onto the balcony to take in the view that you didn’t get to appreciate when you were working.

“It’s a lovely out here,” you commented, leaning against the balcony as Alfie walked towards you with a glass in each hand. You took the glass of gin with a smile before looking back out at the sea that was glistening with the golden light of the setting sun on it.

“Beautiful, aint it?” Alfie agreed, although he wasn’t looking at the sunset. He was too busy looking at you.

“Alfie. Would it be terribly rude of me to ask about your, uh, well, what happened to you?”

“You mean this,” he motioned to his face. “Surprised it’s taken you this long really. Usually it’s the first thing people ask.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want,” you chewed your lip. “I know it’s not really any of my business. I suppose I was just curious. I have been for a while.”

“Aint no skin off my nose, love,” he shrugged. “I aint always been what you might call an upstandin’ member of society. In fact, my life has been a circus of things that I aint really proud of. I’ve done bad things; I’ve seen bad things. I’ve double crossed people time and time again to serve my own gains. Eventually a thing like that catches up with you, don’t it? The man who shot me did so with the aim of killin’ me. He did a fuckin’ shit job though and I ended up like this. But it made me realise that I can’t ever take back all them awful things I’ve done, and if I’m bein’ honest I don’t wanna, however I can live out the rest of my life in peace like I’ve always wanted.”

“Does it hurt?” you asked, reaching up to touch the scarring around the left side of his face. He was still undeniably handsome even with his disfigurement.

“Nah,” Alfie shook his head. “Not anymore.”

You nodded and let your hand linger for a moment longer before dropping it and taking a sip of your drink.

Alfie had seen a different side to you today. You hadn’t kept up with the formal yet friendly front you possessed when you were working. Instead you were carefree and had smiled and laughed in abundance. You joked with him and teased him once you had come out of your shell, and he had enjoyed his time with you as much as he had with Lottie. Now that the day was drawing to a close, he found himself not wanting it to end.

“How did your husband die?” he asked suddenly.

You looked at him surprised and swallowed, setting the glass down on the small table beside you. You sat down and put your hands in your head and sighed, and Alfie could have shot himself in the other eye for ruining the moment. But then you lifted your head and blinked back tears before taking a deep breath.

“The factory he worked in caught fire,” you started. “He got out but he was covered in burns. They kept him in hospital for two months but he was in so much pain still that he couldn’t work. We had some savings and they were enough for us to get by. He shut himself away in the house. Wouldn’t let anyone apart from me and Lottie see him. Then one day it was like the clouds had lifted and he was happy. He was smiling and laughing. That night as we lay in bed he made me promise that I would always live my best life. It’s funny because I didn’t notice that he kept speaking about the future as though he wasn’t going to be a part of it. I was just so happy that he was getting back to normal. When I woke up the next morning, he was dead beside me. He’d saved up bottles of morphine over weeks and he took them all. He wrote me a letter you know. Telling me to keep my promise; telling me how much he would always love me and Lottie. And do you know what I did? I ripped it up into teeny tiny pieces. Then I screamed at his dead body. Told him how much I hated him for leaving us. And sometimes I still feel the same. I hate him for leaving me to do this on my own. But in the same breath I miss him with everything inside me.”

You swiped angrily at the tears that suddenly splashed onto your cheeks, and when you felt Alfie reached for your hand, you didn’t pull away. Instead you allowed yourself to take comfort from it. For just a moment you wanted to be weak and not have to keep strong. It was hard. You were exhausted, emotionally and physically.

“Sorry,” you apologised once your tears had eventually subsided.

“Don’t be,” Alfie said sincerely, catching the remaining drops with his thumb and wiping them on his trousers. “You’re a human; you’re meant to feel things. Life’s dealt you the shittiest blow but you’re stronger than you think. I mean, look at the girl in there. She’s amazin’, right. Swear she’s the cleverest kid I’ve ever met, and she’s kind and sweet. That’s your doin’, aint it? Be angry, be sad, be whatever you need to be to get through each day. But your husband’s right, Y/N. You’ve gotta live your best life cos you only get one. And when it’s gone it’s gone. And if you can’t do it for the promise you made, or even for your own happiness, then at least do it for Lottie, eh? I know I aint got no right to tell you how to live your life, but take it from someone who got another chance at livin’, yeah?”

Since his resurrection, he hadn’t left Margate. In fact, he had spent two years holed up this house; only getting fresh air from sitting on this very balcony. He should have been grateful to still have his life, his dream of a peaceful life in Margate. And he was. But he was also lonely. A strange feeling for a man who purposefully cut himself off from his brother and sister when his mother had died. A man who had constantly convinced himself he was better of alone. Fucking hell, he’d even found himself missing Ollie and his ever growing brood of bloody nippers. That was why he’d gotten Max. His boy Cyril was happy living with the man who had tried to kill him so Alfie had found himself a new dog to fill his days with company. Max had forced him to venture out on walks, and tip his hat politely at strangers on the street. He thought it had been enough. But today had shown him a glimpse of something else he might be able to have. Maybe there was a reason Alfie had survived Tommy Shelby’s bullet. Maybe that reason was you?

You nodded, sniffing and suddenly feeling lighter than you had in months. Alfie was right. Every day had been the same. Wake up, be a mum, go to work, hide your feelings, pretend to be fine, go to bed and pretend that the dreams of him don’t hurt; day in, day out. Looking at Alfie, you realised that you and Lottie deserved more from life. You realised that you wanted more from life.

“I should get Lottie home,” you said quietly.

“Stay,” was all Alfie gave you in reply. You looked at him, making out his features in the sky’s dying embers. “I’m not proposin’ anythin’ untoward. Just stay a while longer, yeah?”

As the night sky ate away the last of the fading sun, you shivered as a breeze whipped around your shoulders. You felt Alfie’s arm come around you and you leaned against him; your head resting upon his shoulder. His hand reached for yours and his thumb rubbed against your knuckles soothingly.

Perhaps it was hours you sat there, or maybe only minutes. But you knew now what had brought you to Margate. It was him. And as you closed your eyes, listening to the sea below, its gentle waves spoke to you. You were home. You were found.


	2. Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so this was originally a one shot but I ended up writing a second part to it!!

“Alfie, we need to find the map so we know where the treasure is.”

“That’s Captain Alfie to you, miss.”

“No, _I’m_ the Captain.”

“Says who?”

You smiled as you listen to Lottie and Alfie bickering amongst themselves. Pirates was their favourite game to play, and you were often convinced that Alfie enjoyed it far more than his five year old counterpart.

Since that day at the fair almost six months ago, something had blossomed between you and Alfie. What had started out as an almost tentative mutual attraction had turned into more. You and Alfie hadn’t formally discussed whatever it was between you, but all you knew was that both you and Lottie were happier than you had been in a long time.

Alfie treated you well; both of you. Lottie was like the apple of his eye. He spoiled her rotten at every chance. And as for you; he tried to spoil you as well, but you didn’t always make it very easy for him. Like the time he suggested you quit the restaurant as well as cleaning for him, and he would pay you a monthly allowance that was double your current wages. After realising he was being deadly serious, you had curtly informed him that you weren’t going to be a kept woman. You and him might have been spending time together- and perhaps that time occasionally involved getting your clothes off (although sometimes you didn’t even get that far)- but you weren’t going to be owned by someone.

“I never meant it like that, love,” Alfie had apologised. “I just know that with Lottie starting school now, the evenings are the only time you get with her and you have to work five of them in the week. And perhaps I was bein’ a little selfish, because I want more time with you as well.”

In the end you and Alfie had come to a sort of agreement. You quit the restaurant but continued to clean at Alfie’s three afternoons a week, and he increased your wages to cover the short fall from the restaurant and then some. Often when you went round, he would insist that you just sit and not clean because in his words _“a bit of dust is good for the immune system, yeah?”_ , but you were adamant that if you were being paid then you were going to work.

“I’m the Captain because I am five and you said that was really big,” Lottie put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows in an exact mimic of the way you often did it to her.

“Yeah and that is really big,” Alfie concurred. “But I’m nearly forty and that’s even bigger, aint it?”

“That’s how old you are?” Lottie’s eyes widened, as her voice lowered to a half whisper. “But that’s so old that I think you might be dead soon.”

“Lottie,” you turned around and shook your head at her.

“What?” she shrugged. “Alfie _is_ very old, Mumma. Even you’re not that old, are you?”

“No, poppet,” you smirked.

“How old are you again, Mummy?”

“It aint polite to ask a lady her age, Lottie,” Alfie pointed at her with a fake scowl. “Now are we playin’ this game or what?”

“Yes, we’re playing, but I’m the Captain, ok?”

“Well, I wanna be the Captain,” Alfie argued.

“Mumma,” Lottie turned to you. “Alfie won’t let me be the Captain and I want to be, so can’t you tell him to stop being mean?”

“Why don’t you both take it in turns being the Captain?” you suggested.

“But how do we choose who’s going to be it first?”

“We’ll flip a coin for it,” Alfie decided. “Heads or tails?”

“I’ll choose once you’ve flipped it,” Lottie answered.

“No that aint out it works. You have to choose before I flip it.”

“No,” Lottie shook her head. “Because I need to choose the winning one so I can go first.”

You and Alfie chuckled, meeting each other’s eyes. Every time Alfie looked at you, even in passing, your heart lurched and you wanted to break out into a smile. You had been without happiness for so long that now you had it again it was becoming an addiction.

“Fine, you can be the Captain,” Alfie sighed, defeated.

You moved into the kitchen to clean, listening to the sounds of their animated game chatter. You were washing up dishes in the sink, when the kitchen door burst open and they came running in, using wooden sticks as makeshift swords. Lottie pretended to poke Alfie in the stomach, and he subsequently fell to the floor with such dramatic flourish that you weren’t sure whether to be impressed or concerned.

“Yay!” Lottie jumped up and down, cheering. “I defeated the evil black beard!”

Alfie groaned on the floor while Lottie skipped around the table happily.

“Well I think that perhaps the evil black beard needs to get up from the floor now because I’m about to mop it,” you said.

“He can’t get up cos he’s wounded,” Lottie explained. “And the only way he can get better is if he gets a kiss from the beautiful mermaid who lives in the ocean.”

“Well could you go and find the beautiful mermaid out in the living room, please?”

“Mummy!” Lottie giggled. “There’s no mermaids out there. _You’re_ the beautiful mermaid.”

“Well in that case, black beard you’re all healed and you can get up now,” you said, waving a hand in Alfie’s direction. “Off you go, the pair of you.”

“Nah,” Alfie grumbled from the floor. “I don’t feel like I’m healed you see cos I never actually got a kiss.”

“And you’re not getting one,” you muttered, trying not to grin at the look on his face.

“Mummy, that’s so mean,” Lottie shook her head at you in disappointment.

“Yes Y/N, that’s so mean,” Alfie echoed.

“You got to give Alfie a proper kiss or he can’t get healed,” Lottie informed you.

“Fine,” you sighed, blowing Alfie a kiss and then turning back to the dishes you were now drying.

“Noooooo Mummy, a _proper_ kiss. Like the ones you give me when I fall over and hurt myself.”

“Yeah come on, Y/N,” Alfie sat up. “How’s that fair? She falls over and gets a kiss, yet I’m skewered almost to my death and don’t get a thing.”

Rolling your eyes, you shuffled towards Alfie before bending down to kiss his upturned face gently. But as your lips met with his very briefly, Lottie shouted, “Now!” and you found yourself on the hard, tiled floor being tickled to death by the pair of them. Even Max joined in, his tail wagging as he jumped on top of you and licked your face.

“Do the beard thing like you do to me, Alfie!” Lottie squealed excitedly, her little hands tickling your ribs.

Chuckling, Alfie rubbed his beard all over the sensitive flesh of your neck, making you shriek while Lottie egged him on. Eventually you managed to push the pair of them off, panting and red faced with your hair sticking up everywhere.

“Why do you two always gang up on me?” you pretended to pout, standing up and straightening your dress.

“I’m sorry, Mummy,” Lottie said sweetly, wrapping her arms around your waist and kissing you there.

“I’m sorry too,” Alfie stood up contritely and kissed your cheek with a wink.

“Hmm,” you narrowed your eyes at them both, even as a smile played at your mouth. “I suppose you’re both forgiven. But only if you get out of here and let me mop the bloody floor.”

“We’re going,” Alfie picked Lottie up and flung her over his shoulder. “We know when we aint wanted, eh?”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Like every afternoon you cleaned for Alfie, you and Lottie ended up staying for dinner. Alfie was actually a surprisingly good cook, and your fussy daughter ate everything he made without complaint. It probably helped that Alfie was just as fussy and refused to cook anything that even slightly resembled a vegetable, so he and Lottie were extremely well suited. You were also certain that they might have the same mental age, especially as you watched Alfie sat with a breadstick hanging out of either side of his mouth, pretending to be a walrus. Lottie was laughing so hard that no sound was coming out; she was wheezing and red faced.

“Alfie,” you frowned, patting Lottie’s back as she choked on her potatoes.

“Alright, alright,” Alfie rolled his eyes and removed the breadsticks with a sigh. “Did anyone ever tell you you’re a proper destroyer of fun?”

“I think the word you’re looking for is killjoy,” you muttered, taking a sip of water. “And personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to eat dinner like normal people and not animals in a zoo.”

“Well Max eats with us Mummy and he’s an animal,” Lottie said.

“That’s true, darling, but Max is a pet, isn’t he?” you explained. “Which sort of means he’s like family. He eats with us because he’s Alfie’s family.”

“And because Alfie sneaks him food under the table,” Lottie grinned.

“Cheeky bugger,” Alfie pinched her nose making her giggle. “Gotta stop tellin’ your Mum all me secrets.”

“It’s hardly a secret, Alf,” you smirked.

Before Alfie could make a sharp witted remark back, there was a flash of lightening, followed by the loudest clap of thunder that caused Lottie to scream and jump onto your lap, burying her head into your neck with a sob.

“It’s alright, sweetheart,” you stroked her back. “It’s just a storm. It won’t hurt you.”

“I don’t like it, Mumma,” she whimpered as the thunder rumbled loudly again.

“Lottie,” Alfie knelt down beside your chair. “Don’t be scared, love. Why don’t you come and watch at the balcony with me, eh?”

Lottie lifted her tear stained face to look at Alfie and you could see the hesitance in her eyes.

“I’ll look after ya, won’t I?” he smiled, wiping her tears with his hands. “Besides, we can play a game, can’t we?”

“What game?” Lottie sniffed.

“Come and sit with me and I’ll tell ya.”

Lottie reached out her arms to Alfie and wrapped herself around him so he could carry her to his armchair in the living room.

“Right so what you have to do is every time you see the lightning, you then have to count until it thunders,” he explained. “And however many seconds it takes to thunder is how far away it is.”

You smiled, settling yourself down on the opposite arm chair. You closed your eyes contentedly, listening to them playing their game. Before you knew it, you were fast asleep.

Alfie looked over at your sleeping form and smirked at the light snore coming from you.

“I reckon your Mum’s asleep,” he told Lottie. “Dunno how she can sleep through all this noise, do you?”

“Why does it make that noise, Alfie?” Lottie asked.

“God’s movin’ his furniture, aint he?” was Alfie’s answer. “When it rains it’s cos his bath overflowed.”

“So when it makes the lightning, is that because he’s switching his light on and off?”

“Exactly that.”

“Why does he keep on doing it over and over again?”

“Well God’s proper old aint he?” Alfie replied. “He’s as old as the world, and even older again. So he’s gotta do somethin’ to pass his time, eh?”

“Do you think my Daddy gets bored in heaven?” Lottie looked at him.

“Nah,” Alfie shook his head. “I reckon he’s too busy watchin’ you and all the things you get up to. And you’re always havin’ so much fun that he couldn’t possibly get bored, could he?”

“Alfie? Why do you not have any children?”

“I aint never been married, Lottie pops,” Alfie told her honestly. “You can’t have kids if you’re not married. But I’ve got Max, aint I? And he’s kind of like havin’ a kid.”

“And you’ve got me,” Lottie smiled, reaching up to touch his scarred face as she always did. “You’re kind of like my Daddy now, aren’t you?”

“I dunno about that, love,” Alfie shifted uncomfortably. “I mean, you’ve already got a Daddy, aint you?”

“But I think I want you to be my Daddy too,” Lottie didn’t let it drop. “Cos you’re soft and snuggly like my Daddy in heaven, and you make my Mummy smile. He used to make Mummy smile too before he died.”

Alfie didn’t know what to say, so he just kissed the top of her head and pulled her against his chest. For a man who had never been bothered about having children of his own, this little one right here had come to mean everything to him in such a short space of time. She reminded him that beneath the hard exterior he wore was someone soft. And he had realised that being soft wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It was funny really, because he had spent the past few years mocking Thomas Shelby and the strength the man drew from his family. But this tiny glimpse of one of his own had taught Alfie that having people you cared for was as invigorating for you as it was them.

“Your Mummy makes me smile too,” Alfie said. “And you. You make me smile the most.”

“You make me smile too. And you make me laugh lots and lots until my tummy hurts,” Lottie kissed his cheek, nestling against him and yawning.

Within a few minutes, she herself was fast asleep as well.

“Like mother like daughter,” Alfie muttered with a wry smile.

It was pitch black outside and the storm was still raging. There was no way he was allowing either of you to go anywhere in this weather, so with creaking hips and an aching back he scooped Lottie up in his broad arms and carried her to one of the spare bedrooms. The bed was huge and she was swallowed up by the thick feather down quilt. Smiling down at her, Alfie pushed her hair back from her head, marvelling at how small and innocent she was.

“Alfie,” she murmured sleepily.

“Ssh,” he whispered. “Get yourself to sleep, young lady. You got school in the mornin’.”

“Mm hmm,” she yawned, turning over onto her stomach. “I love you, Alfie.”

“I love you too, little one,” he swallowed the thick lump in his throat.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

You awoke with a start and looked around in a panic. You relaxed somewhat when your gaze fell upon Alfie. The fire was roaring and in its faint light, he looked so handsome.

“What time is it?” you croaked, watching as he stroked Max’s golden fur. In the background, the radio hummed and you could have easily closed your eyes and drifted back off.

“A little after eleven,” Alfie murmured.

“Eleven!” you jumped up. “Why the hell didn’t you wake me? And where’s Lottie? Shit! I need to get her home. She’s got school in the morning and Aunt Maud is going to wonder where on earth we are.”

“Calm down for a minute,” Alfie stood up and grabbed you gently by the shoulders. “Lottie’s fast asleep in the spare room. I’ve checked on her a few times and she’s flat out. As for your Aunt Maud, don’t you worry about that. I phoned her earlier and told her that because of the storm, you two were stoppin’ over in the spare room. She agreed it was the most sensible idea instead of draggin’ Lottie out in the pourin’ down rain.”

You opened your mouth to say something but quickly shut it again. It seemed Alfie had thought of everything.

“What?” Alfie grinned, his eyes twinkling. “No smart arsed reply for me?”

“Shut up,” you nudged him with your shoulder.

“Make me,” Alfie muttered, and you felt your heart begin to hammer in your chest as he looked at you with _that_ look in his eyes. The look that made your knees feel weak and your stomach lurch with want.

Your mouths smashed together and as your back met with the cold hard plaster of the wall, Alfie lifted you so that your legs were wrapped around his waist. His tongue was inside your mouth, fighting for dominance with your own. You sucked lightly on his tongue and smirked triumphantly when he groaned.

“You’re a witch,” he pulled back and nibbled at your neck, making your eyes roll back in your head.

His hands found their way underneath your dress, gripping at your thighs, lifting you up higher so that your core rubbed against Alfie’s very obvious erection.

“Alfie,” you moaned, bringing his mouth back to yours as his hands moved to undo the buttons on the front of your dress.

“Mm,” he murmured against your mouth, tearing at the last few buttons, sending them scattering. You slip came off after your dress, leaving you in only your underwear and stockings. Alfie wasted no time in ridding you of your brassiere so that he could suckle at your nipples.

Your mind was completely devoid of any rational thought as Alfie’s mouth worked your breasts while a hand slipped down underneath your knickers. His fingers were inside you in an instant, and his thumb rubbed your clit in circles at the same time as his teeth tugged gently at one of your nipples. You were already close and Alfie knew it.

“Come on, love,” he muttered against your soft skin, as his fingers grew more insistent against you.

Alfie grunted in approval as he felt you clench around him; his fingers moving in and out of you slowly while you rode out your orgasm. Giving you barely any time to recover, Alfie picked you up and carried you over to the dining room table, plonking you down rather unceremoniously before yanking off your knickers.

“Fuckin’ bastard,” he complained to himself, fiddling with his belt buckle in an attempt to undo his trousers. You giggled, moving his hands out of the way to complete the task for him. Alfie wriggled his trousers down to his ankles and kicked them off impatiently along with his boxer shorts. The second his cock sprung free, he palmed it and you could see his desire weeping from the tip. Moving his hands once again, you took hold of his hard length, watching the way his face contorted in anguished delight as you fisted him.

Your mouths were melded together once more, your tongues dancing and Alfie’s hands in your hair, massaging at your scalp.

“Stop, stop,” Alfie groaned, grabbing hold of your hand. “I aint gonna last if you keep that up, love.”

Pushing you back so that you lay flat on the table, Alfie lifted your legs and guided himself into you. You groaned simultaneously, and he quickly found a rhythm that had you clenching around him once more; your arm flung over your mouth so you didn’t wake Lottie up. Alfie was relentless as he pounded into you and your teeth clattered with the force of it. Suddenly Alfie stopped and let out a gasp of pain.

“What’s wrong,” you sat up concerned.

“My bastard back,” he hissed. “Fuckin’ sciatica.”

“I can help with that,” you chuckled, jumping down from the table.

You pulled out one of the dining chairs and rolled your eyes when Alfie didn’t do as you expected. He frowned at you when you pushed him down onto the chair, but his confusion quickly turned to pleasure when you straddled him.

“Fuck,” Alfie grunted as you slid down slowly onto him.

His hands grasped at your hips as he moved you up and down, setting the rhythm. He took a nipple into his mouth and sucked at it hard while you clutched his hair and threw back your head.

“Ah Alfie,” you bit your lip feeling another wave coming over you. “Fuck.”

“You’re fuckin’ tellin’ me,” Alfie muttered, his eyes closed as he could feel himself getting close. “You’re fuckin’ beautiful, you. Thank fuckin’ God Tommy Shelby shot me in the bloody face otherwise I wouldn’t have met you.”

“Mm,” you moaned, unable to string a sentence together as you both moved against each other with even more desperation. “Alfie… I’m gonna…ah.”

Your words were cut off as yet another orgasm tore through you, ripping through every inch of your body, and Alfie followed right behind you. He came inside you with a grunt, his head dropping onto your chest as his hot spurting seed filled you up.

Afterwards, Alfie kissed you so tenderly that it brought tears to your eyes. You kissed as though you had all the time in the world to do nothing but that. His hands were all over you, touching you so reverently and he murmured the sweetest things against your mouth. You felt his cock twitch inside you and you both chuckled as he started to harden again.

“I feel like a teenager again,” Alfie snorted. “Swear I can’t get enough of you.”

“You’ll get bored of me eventually,” you smiled against his mouth, moving instinctively against him as his hands squeezed at your bum.

“Never,” Alfie whispered vehemently. “I’m keepin’ you forever.”

“Mummy.”

You both froze as Lottie’s voice sounded from the hallway.

“Sorry,” you grimaced, climbing off of Alfie and hurriedly pulling on your discarded slip. “I’m coming, sweetheart.”

You got to the living room door at the same time as Lottie, and you smiled when you saw her rubbing her eyes sleepily.

“Let’s get you back into bed, darling, hmm?” you picked her up, resting her on your hip.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“…And they both lived happily ever after.”

Lottie was snoring quietly by the time you finished reciting her favourite fairytale from memory, and you tucked the covers around her and kissed her sweet little button nose.

“Proper adorable when she’s asleep, aint she?” Alfie stood leaning against the doorframe, watching you both with a fond smile. “Bet she was the cutest baby, weren’t she?”

“Ha, when she wasn’t hanging off my boobs until they bled and screaming at all hours of the night,” you grinned, closing the door as you left the room together. “Apart from that, yeah, she was the cutest thing ever.”

“You ever think about havin’ more?” Alfie asked.

“Sometimes,” you shrugged, walking back in the living room to get your dress. “Me and Lottie’s dad were both only children, and I’ve never wanted that for her. But you don’t always get what you want in life, do you?”

“Who says?” Alfie took your hand and pulled you towards him, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. His hands moved down to touch your stomach and he smiled faintly. “I would give you a thousand kids if that’s what you wanted.”

You looked into his eyes and realised he was being completely serious. You let out a breath and walked towards the balcony, swallowing down tears and trying to compose yourself. You felt Alfie behind you a few seconds before his arms wound themselves around you, his chin resting on your shoulder. You leaned back against him and closed your eyes, a tear escaping and trailing down your cheek.

“Don’t cry,” Alfie murmured, wiping the tear away and turning you around in his arms. “I weren’t tryin’ to make you upset.”

“I know,” you sniffed. “And you didn’t upset me.”

“No?” Alfie frowned. “Want to tell that to your fuckin’ face then?”

You smacked his chest and shook your head. Alfie cupped your cheek and forced your eyes to look into his.

“Y/N,” he spoke quietly. “I meant what I said. I would give you a thousand kids and then some. You and that little girl in there mean everythin’ to me. I fuckin’ love the bones of you both. You’ve brought a joy to my life that I never knew even fuckin’ existed. I thought I was happy, just watchin’ for ships out that fuckin’ window right there and gettin’ slobbered to death by Max.”

“Alfie,” you sighed. You couldn’t let him continue. You desperately wanted to but you were terrified. You were terrified because your heart wanted, no _needed_ him.

“Just hear me out,” he held his hand up. “I don’t wanna spend the rest of my life without you two. I wanna watch Lottie grow up into a young woman, and then chase off every fuckin’ bloke what thinks he can come sniffin’ around her. I want to watch your stomach swell when I put my babies in there. And more than all of that, I wanna grow old with you. I wanna sit on that balcony when we’re old and grey and have no regrets about what we could have had.”

“I want that too,” you answered. “But I’m scared, Alfie. I’ve already lost one man I loved. I can’t lose another. And neither can Lottie.”

“You aint gonna lose me,” Alfie stroked your face. “I’m in this for the long run. You two own me now; mind, body and soul and that aint never gonna change. I love you. The pair of you. And I always will.”

“I love you too,” you admitted, tears pouring from your eyes as you leaned forward to kiss him.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

_One year later_

You looked up as the door creaked open to see Lottie and Alfie stood with eager smiles upon their faces.

“Someone’s very excited to meet her new sister,” Alfie ushered Lottie into the room.

Alfie leaned over the bed to kiss you sweetly before lifting Lottie up onto the bed beside you. You pulled the blanket back from the tiny bundle in your arms, and Lottie’s face lit up when she saw her baby’s sisters scrunched up face for the first time.

“Is she really mine?” she breathed in awe.

“She is,” you smiled wearily. “Do you want to hold her?”

Lottie nodded, and once she was settled comfortably against the headboard you placed the baby into her waiting arms, showing her how to support the baby’s head.

“Hello,” Lottie kissed the baby’s head. “I’m your big sister. It’s nice to meet you. I waited a really really long time for you to come out of Mumma’s tummy. When you get a bit bigger, I’m going to teach you all of my favourite games and read you the best stories. Lily Cubbon at school said she hates her baby sister, but I don’t hate you. I love you lots and lots and I’m going to be your bestest friend forever.”

Alfie, who was sat on the other side of Lottie and the baby, met your eyes over the top of Lottie’s head and smiled.

Everything he loved the most in this room (well, apart from the dog) were right in this room. He had a beautiful wife and two perfect daughters. Alfie Solomons would never be lost again. 


End file.
